Livestock incinerator

ABSTRACT

Agricultural incinerators are used to dispose of agricultural products, including, but not limited to, agricultural livestock carcasses. Incinerators are operated at extremely high temperatures (e.g., up to 3000-degrees F.) to dispose of an mitigate the spread of unwanted biologics, diseases, or other. The incinerator includes a double walled housing with a layer of sand that is used to protect the housing and to enhance the heat inside the housing. The sand provides a naturally low thermal conductivity to maintain the heat, which increases the efficiency of the incinerator. A hand crank opens a door into the incinerator to mitigate touching of any hot surfaces. In addition, a secondary burner can be used in the exhaust of the incinerator to reduce harmful emissions prior to exhausting into the ambient area of the incinerator.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to provisional patent application U.S. Ser. No. 63/269,382, filed Mar. 15, 2022. The provisional patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, including without limitation, the specification, claims, and abstract, as well as any figures, tables, appendices, or drawings thereof.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to incinerators. More particularly, but not exclusively, the invention relates to systems and apparatus for incinerating agricultural products, including livestock and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Incinerators are generally referred to as being furnaces used in the process of burning solid waste for the purpose of reducing the volume of the waste by removing combustible matter. Emissions of concern include particulates and potentially harmful pollutants depending on what is being burned. While incinerators can be used in a wide variety of fields and applications, one area for use has been in the agricultural industry.

For example, incinerators have been used to dispose of animal waste in a safe manner, and to mitigate disease outbreaks for livestock. In use, an animal carcass is placed in an incinerator, and the incinerator is activated to extremely high temperatures (up to approximately 3000-degrees F.), wherein the carcass and anything else in the incinerator is essentially burned such that there is little to no remaining waste therein. The high temperatures are used to kill off any potentially unwanted biologic associated with the carcass, and also relieves the need to otherwise dispose of an animal carcass.

Agricultural incinerators have been used for some time in the industry. Most include an internal cavity that is lined with a material, such as bricks, that are able to withstand the intense heat of the incinerator. The bricks, however, have a lifetime that is less than that of the incinerator itself, and therefore, must be replaced over time. The lining bricks are very difficult to remove and replace, and this is very important as the housing of the incinerator needs some protection from the heat created therein, else the entire incinerator will begin to degrade and will need to be replaced, which is costly.

Some incinerators use fire bricks to line the interior thereof, which is intended to protect the housing of the incinerator, and to provide a higher efficiency for the heating of the interior. fire brick, firebrick, or refractory is a block of ceramic material used in lining furnaces, kilns, fireboxes, and fireplaces. A refractory brick is built primarily to withstand high temperature, but will also usually have a low thermal conductivity for greater energy efficiency. However, as disclosed, the fire bricks degrade over time and must be replaced. The replacement of the bricks is difficult, expensive, and time consuming.

Thus, there exists a need in the art for a system and/or apparatus that improves over agricultural incinerators to increase the life of the incinerator and removes the need to replace difficult replacement components associated with existing incinerators.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following objects, features, advantages, aspects, and/or embodiments, are not exhaustive and do not limit the overall disclosure. No single embodiment need provide each and every object, feature, or advantage. Any of the objects, features, advantages, aspects, and/or embodiments disclosed herein can be integrated with one another, either in full or in part.

It is a primary object, feature, and/or advantage of the invention to improve on or overcome the deficiencies in the art.

It is a further object, feature, and/or advantage to provide an improved incinerator used with agricultural needs, including, but not limited to, the disposal of agricultural livestock carcasses.

It is still yet a further object, feature, and/or advantage increase the life of an agricultural incinerator.

It is another object, feature, and/or advantage for an incinerator to include a double-walled housing with sand therebetween to keep in heat and to prolong the life of the incinerator.

It is still a further object, feature, and/or advantage to include an easy to open door in the incinerator housing that mitigates unwanted touching of the housing, which reduces potential for burning and other injuries.

It is yet another object, feature, and/or advantage to include a secondary burner in the exhaust of an incinerator to burn the exhaust from the incinerator, which reduces unwanted and potentially harmful emissions.

The incinerator and associated components disclosed herein can be used in a wide variety of applications. For example, while the incinerator may be used for agricultural livestock carcasses, it is envisioned that it could be used for generally any disposal needs, including any disposal needs that require or otherwise would be benefited from undergoing the incineration process.

It is preferred the apparatus be safe, cost effective, and durable. For example, the apparatus can be adapted to resist thermal transfer and include components that have a longer life than current products to reduce the need to repair or otherwise replace components.

At least one embodiment disclosed herein comprises a distinct aesthetic appearance. Ornamental aspects included in such an embodiment can help capture a consumer's attention and/or identify a source of origin of a product being sold. Said ornamental aspects will not impede functionality of the invention.

Methods can be practiced which facilitate use, manufacture, assembly, maintenance, and repair of an incinerator which accomplish some or all of the previously stated objectives.

According to some aspects of the present disclosure, an agricultural incinerator comprises a housing, said housing comprising first and second walls separated a distance from one another; a granular material between the first and second spaced walls of the housing, said granular material having a low thermal conductivity; a door providing access to an interior of the housing; a burner for providing heat to the interior of the housing; and an exhaust in communication with the interior of the housing to direct gaseous discharge therefrom.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the granular material comprises sand.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the thermal conductivity is less than 4 W/m/° C.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the incinerator further comprises a second burner in the exhaust for reducing emissions from the gaseous discharge.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the incinerator includes a damper in the exhaust, with the second burner at the damper, and wherein the damper selectively allows the gaseous discharge to exit from the exhaust.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the door comprises a pulley system to open the door without needing to touch said door.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the pulley system comprises a hand crank to open and close the door via the pulley system.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the pulley system further comprises a first pulley at an elevated position above the housing, and a second pulley at the door, and a cable, wherein said cable connected to an attachment point near the first pulley at one end, and at the hand crank at the other end.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the housing comprises a cylinder shape.

According to additional aspects, an incinerator includes a housing, said housing comprising an inner wall and an outer wall, said outer wall spaced a distance from the inner wall to create a cavity therebetween the inner and outer walls; a granular material in the cavity of the housing; wherein said housing comprises removable ends on opposite sides of the housing and closing off the inner wall, outer wall, and cavity.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the incinerator includes a door to access an area within the inner wall of the housing.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the door is operable with a hand crank.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the incinerator includes a burner associated with the interior of the inner wall of the housing, said burner providing a high temperature within the housing.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the incinerator includes an exhaust in communication with the interior of the housing to direct gaseous discharge therefrom.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the incinerator includes a second burner in the exhaust.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the incinerator includes a damper associated with the second burner to selectively allow the gaseous discharge to pass therethrough.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the housing comprises a cylinder shape.

According to yet additional aspects, an incinerator includes a cylinder-shaped housing having concentric inner and out walls spaced from one another with a cavity therebetween;

a granular material in the cavity of the housing; a door providing access to an interior of the housing; a burner for providing heat to the interior of the housing; and an exhaust in communication with the interior of the housing to direct gaseous discharge therefrom.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the granular material comprises sand.

According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments, the incinerator includes a second burner in the exhaust for reducing emissions from the gaseous discharge.

These and/or other objects, features, advantages, aspects, and/or embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reviewing the following brief and detailed descriptions of the drawings. Furthermore, the present disclosure encompasses aspects and/or embodiments not expressly disclosed but which can be understood from a reading of the present disclosure, including at least: (a) combinations of disclosed aspects and/or embodiments and/or (b) reasonable modifications not shown or described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Several embodiments in which the invention can be practiced are illustrated and described in detail, wherein like reference characters represent like components throughout the several views. The drawings are presented for exemplary purposes and may not be to scale unless otherwise indicated.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a rear isometric view of an incinerator according to at least some aspects and/or embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a front isometric view of the incinerator.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a front elevation view of the incinerator.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a front elevation of the incinerator.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a rear elevation view of the incinerator.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a burner associated with an end of the incinerator according to at least some aspects and/or embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an open end of the incinerator.

FIG. 8 is a view showing the open end of the incinerator adjacent to the exhaust.

FIG. 9 is a view of a rear isometric view of the incinerator showing the inner and outer walls with cavity therebetween.

FIG. 10 is a view showing an end of the incinerator showing the inner and outer walls of the housing spaced from one another.

FIG. 11 is a view showing the end of the incinerator with granular material added in the space between the inner and outer walls of the housing.

FIG. 12 is a view showing the housing without the door and showing the inner and outer walls being spaced from one another.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a front elevation view of the incinerator without granular material in the area between the inner and outer walls of the housing.

FIG. 14 is a view showing another view of the incinerator without the door.

FIG. 15 is a view showing coverings at the opening of the door to cover the area between the walls of the incinerator.

FIG. 16 is a view showing the inner wall of the incinerator housing closed.

FIG. 17 is a view showing an end of the incinerator and also portions of the pulley system for operating the door.

FIG. 18 is a view showing additional aspects of an incinerator according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 19 is a view of an end view of the incinerator showing a sectional view of the housing with granular material.

An artisan of ordinary skill need not view, within isolated figure(s), the near infinite number of distinct permutations of features described in the following detailed description to facilitate an understanding of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure is not to be limited to that described herein. Mechanical, electrical, chemical, procedural, and/or other changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. No features shown or described are essential to permit basic operation of the invention unless otherwise indicated.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used above have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which embodiments of the invention pertain.

The terms “a,” “an,” and “the” include both singular and plural referents.

The term “or” is synonymous with “and/or” and means any one member or combination of members of a particular list.

The terms “invention” or “present invention” are not intended to refer to any single embodiment of the particular invention but encompass all possible embodiments as described in the specification and the claims.

The term “about” as used herein refer to slight variations in numerical quantities with respect to any quantifiable variable. Inadvertent error can occur, for example, through use of typical measuring techniques or equipment or from differences in the manufacture, source, or purity of components.

The term “substantially” refers to a great or significant extent. “Substantially” can thus refer to a plurality, majority, and/or a supermajority of said quantifiable variable, given proper context.

The term “generally” encompasses both “about” and “substantially.”

The term “configured” describes structure capable of performing a task or adopting a particular configuration. The term “configured” can be used interchangeably with other similar phrases, such as constructed, arranged, adapted, manufactured, and the like.

The term “agriculture” means anything related to the practice of cultivating plants and livestock.

Terms characterizing sequential order, a position, and/or an orientation are not limiting and are only referenced according to the views presented.

The “scope” of the invention is defined by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. The scope of the invention is further qualified as including any possible modification to any of the aspects and/or embodiments disclosed herein which would result in other embodiments, combinations, subcombinations, or the like that would be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Incinerators are used in agriculture for the disposal of crops and/or livestock. For example, livestock are disposed that may carry a disease or illness, or which may otherwise be insufficient for consumption or other uses. Generally, incinerators comprise an interior in which the crop or livestock is placed, and a burner is ignited to heat the interior. The burner is able to raise the temperature in the interior to extreme temperatures, such as up to about 3,000-degrees F. This temperature incinerates the material inside. To protect the ambient area surrounding the incinerator, and to maintain the heat inside, the incinerator is generally lined with a material, such as fire bricks. However, these can degrade over time and either the lining or the entire incinerator will need replaced.

Therefore, as shown and described herein, an incinerator 10 is provided which improves on current incinerators. An incinerator 10 according to various aspects and/or embodiments is shown in the accompanying figures. The incinerator 10, as shown and described, can be used for any number of uses, including, but not limited to, the incineration of agricultural livestock, crops, or any other matter or material to be disposed.

The incinerator 10 includes a body or housing 12, which is propped off the ground by use of support legs 18. The support legs 18 are tubing, such as square tubing, that is used to raise the housing 12 off the ground, which provides initial improvements over current and existing incinerators. According to some embodiments, the legs 18 raise the housing 12 approximately 8 to 24-inches off the ground. For example, the housing 12 may be approximately 12-inches off the ground, which makes it easier to access the door 24 and end door 23 of the housing, which provides access to the interior of the housing.

As shown in the figures, the housing 12 may be generally cylindrically shaped. However, it should be appreciated that this need not be limiting on the invention, and it is to be appreciated that the housing comprises generally any shape, size, or configuration, and may be dependent upon specific use, size requirements, space availability, costs, or other determining factors. The housing 12 includes a first end 20 and an opposite second end 22. The depiction of first and second ends are not to be limiting, but rather to aid in understanding the components and functionality of the incinerator 10.

As shown best in FIGS. 9, 10, 13, 14, and 16 , the housing 12 comprises an interior defined, at least in part, by an inner wall 14 and an outer wall 16. The inner and outer walls 14, 16 are shown to be generally concentric in nature and spaced apart from one another to comprise a cavity or space 56 therebetween. According to at least some aspects and/or embodiments of the present disclosure, the inner and outer walls 14, 16 comprise ⅜″ steel, but this should not be limiting on the invention. In addition, as noted, the inner and outer walls are spaced from one another. According to at least some aspects of some embodiments, the walls are spaced such that there is approximately 6-inches between the walls. To aid in maintaining the spacing, such as during construction and/or manufacturing of the incinerator, a plurality of support spacers 58 are included, such as by welding steel members between the inner wall 14 and the outer wall 16. The spacers 58 provide the desired distance and also provide structural integrity for the incinerator 10.

Positioned generally between the walls of the housing is a granular material 62, such as sand. This is best shown in FIG. 19 . The sand or other granular material is used for multiple purposes. For example, the material will have a generally low thermal conductivity. According to some aspects of some embodiments, the thermal conductivity may be less than 4 W/m/° C. Therefore, any material having such a threshold is to be contemplated as used in the void between the walls of the housing and door.

The use of sand or other granular material instead of fire brick provides additional advantages and/or improvements. As noted, the material is heat absorbing and has a low thermal conductivity. This will be helpful to make mitigate or limit the release of heat from the interior of the housing, such as by insulating the housing. In addition, as the sand or other granular material is will not degrade as fire brick does, it will not need to be replaced. One issue with fire brick is the requirement of replacing, including how often and the difficulty with doing the same. Utilizing sand or other granular material will lessen this and increase the life of the incinerator.

According to some aspects of some embodiments, the walls are spaced approximately 6-inches apart, and the sand or other granular material can be added in this cavity or void. The sand can be paced therein to provide a layer material that will provide the advantages provided, and will increase the efficiency of the device.

As shown throughout the figures, once the sand or other granular material has been added between the double walls of the housing, the spacing can be enclosed. Coverings 60, such as shown in the figures, can be added, such as by welding steel or other material to enclose the spacing between the walls, and to enclose the granular material. This will further improve on the efficiency of the system, such as by mitigating heat dissipation and maintaining the heat in the interior of the housing to better incinerate the material therein.

Extending from a portion of the housing 12 is an exhaust 46. The exhaust 46 is used to direct the gaseous emissions from the interior of the housing to the ambient location around the incinerator 10. The exhaust 46 includes a pipe 48 with an exit area 50, which is shown by the mesh screen cap in the figures. The pipe 48 is sized to have the emissions be at a level generally above the height of people, such as to mitigate direct exposure of the emissions to people.

According to at least some aspects of some embodiments, the exhaust may include a secondary burner 52 and damper 54 positioned in the pipe 48. The secondary burner 52 and damper 54 are shown in FIG. 18 . The secondary burner 52 can be a gas fired burner and can be used to further “burn” the emissions passing through the exhaust 46, which mitigate or reduce harmful emissions from being exhausted into the ambient environment. The damper can be used to temporarily block passage of the emissions through the pipe 48, such as to allow the secondary burner 52 to heat up the emissions for a predetermined amount of time, before the damper 54 is moved to allow the burned emissions to pass through the exit 50 and into the ambient area. The damper 54 may be a manual or automatically controlled member. For example, it could be a rotatable member that has a first configuration that blocks or substantially blocks the internal area within the pipe. The damper could then be rotated to allow passage through the pipe, which allows the emissions to pass through the exit and into the ambient environment.

Also shown in the figures is a door 24 for providing access to the interior of the housing 12 of the incinerator 10. The door 24 can be double walled as well and comprise similar materials to the housing 12. The door 24 is connected to the housing 12 via a hinge 38 to provide rotational movement of the door 24. The door also includes a handle 25 to access the door. However, as the incinerator will experience high temperatures, aspects of the disclosure are provided to mitigate touching of the door to provide the access thereinto.

As shown in the figures (see, e.g., FIGS. 1, 4, 5, 8, and 17 ), a pulley system 26 can be included with the housing and door. The pulley system 26 includes components that are connected to the door 24 and housing 12 to allow for a hands-free activation and movement of the door 24, and which will hold the door in an open position. The pulley system 24 includes a hand crank 28 or other activating means. The hand crank 28 is shown to be a handle and reel with a cable 30 connected thereto. The cable 30 is connected at an opposite end at a connection point 32, which is part of a support member 40, comprising tubing, such as square tubing. The cable passes in communication with a first pulley 34 and a second pulley 36. Therefore, activation of the hand crank 28 will shorten or length the cable. To open the door 24, the hand crank is used to shorten the cable 30. The pulleys 34, 36 will lessen the force required from the hand crank 28, and will move the door 24 via the handle in a rotational manner until it is opened, allowing access to the interior of the housing 12. To close, the hand crank can be operated in the opposite direction to length the cable, which can close the door. However, in some embodiments, the door is opened to a point where it will be held open by itself, and a force is required to close the door, such as when the door is opened to a point passed the hinge.

While the hand crank 28 is a manually operated system, it should be appreciated that an automatic or fully hands-free system be used instead. In such a configuration, an actuator can be connected between the door, such as at the handle at one end and the support at another. The actuator can be connected via linkage such that extension of the actuator will close the door, and retraction of the actuator rod will open the door. The actuator can be hydraulic, pneumatic, electric, or some combination thereof. In addition, the actuator can be connected to a remote such that it can be activated remotely and hands free, mitigating touching of the heated housing 12.

The first end 20 of the housing 12 includes a door 23 that is openable to provide access to the interior. The door 23 is connected by a hinge and includes a latch 21 to temporarily hold the door in a closed position. The door can be opened to allow access, such as to load material into the interior of the housing for incineration. The door can also be used to allow cleaning of the interior of the housing.

At the opposite end of the housing is a burner 42. The burner 42 includes a housing 44 enclosing a burner element for providing heat to the interior of the housing 12. For example, the interior of the housing may be heated up to 3000-degree F. The burner 42 passes through the housing end via an opening 66 in an end cap 64 (see, e.g., FIG. 16 ). The burner may be a gas fired burner using LP or natural gas with an electric ignition. A temperature probe can be associated with the burner and the interior of the housing to provide feedback in the form of temperature in the interior, so as to allow adjustments to the burner, as needed. It should be appreciated that the burner is not to be limiting to the invention, and the burner can be chosen based, in part, on the volume of the housing, the burn rate, material being incinerator, and other considerations.

Therefore, an incinerator has been provided which improves on the art. The incinerator 10, as has been shown and/or described, provides numerous advantages to the art. This includes a better insulated housing that reduces wear, maintains heat, and reduces upkeep and other maintenance associated with current incinerators. The use of sand or other granular materials provides a better insulated and longer lasting housing, and also concentrates heat to the interior of the housing. The door and end doors provide for easy access to the interior for loading and cleaning of the system. By including legs, the housing is raised off the ground, which allows for easier access to the doors. The inclusion of an optional after/secondary burner in the exhaust increases the efficiency and reduces release of potentially harmful emissions into the ambient environment. Finally, the use of the hand crank provides for easier access and mitigates exposure to potentially high temperature components, reducing the risk of injury during and after use of the incinerator.

The size of the housing can be varied to accommodate multiple uses. For example, increasing the size of the housing allows for more carcasses or crops to be incinerated. Therefore, it should be appreciated that the size of the housing is not to be limiting on the disclosure.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the invention accomplishes at least all of the stated objectives. The incinerator shown and/or described achieves complete disposal of carcasses, mitigates smoke and odor, and provides for minimal remains in the housing. However, it should be appreciated that alternatives and variations to the components included are to be considered a part of the present disclosure. In addition, it should be appreciated that any of the components of any of the embodiments could be combined in a manner to create additional embodiments not explicitly disclosed herein. 

1. An agricultural incinerator, comprising: a housing, said housing comprising first and second walls separated a distance from one another; a granular material between the first and second spaced walls of the housing, said granular material having a low thermal conductivity; a door providing access to an interior of the housing; a burner for providing heat to the interior of the housing; and an exhaust in communication with the interior of the housing to direct gaseous discharge therefrom.
 2. The agricultural incinerator of claim 1, wherein the granular material comprises sand.
 3. The agricultural incinerator of claim 1, wherein the thermal conductivity is less than 4 W/m/° C.
 4. The agricultural incinerator of claim 1, further comprising a second burner in the exhaust for reducing emissions from the gaseous discharge.
 5. The agricultural incinerator of claim 4, further comprising a damper in the exhaust, with the second burner at the damper, and wherein the damper selectively allows the gaseous discharge to exit from the exhaust.
 6. The agricultural incinerator of claim 1, wherein the door comprises a pulley system to open the door without needing to touch said door.
 7. The agricultural incinerator of claim 6, wherein the pulley system comprises a hand crank to open and close the door via the pulley system.
 8. The agricultural incinerator of claim 7, wherein the pulley system further comprises a first pulley at an elevated position above the housing, and a second pulley at the door, and a cable, wherein said cable connected to an attachment point near the first pulley at one end, and at the hand crank at the other end.
 9. The agricultural incinerator of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a cylinder shape.
 10. An incinerator, comprising: a housing, said housing comprising an inner wall and an outer wall, said outer wall spaced a distance from the inner wall to create a cavity therebetween the inner and outer walls; a granular material in the cavity of the housing; wherein said housing comprises removable ends on opposite sides of the housing and closing off the inner wall, outer wall, and cavity.
 11. The incinerator of claim 10, further comprising a door to access an area within the inner wall of the housing.
 12. The incinerator of claim 11, wherein the door is operable with a hand crank.
 13. The incinerator of claim 10, further comprising a burner associated with the interior of the inner wall of the housing, said burner providing a high temperature within the housing.
 14. The incinerator of claim 13, further comprising an exhaust in communication with the interior of the housing to direct gaseous discharge therefrom.
 15. The incinerator of claim 14, further comprising a second burner in the exhaust.
 16. The incinerator of claim 15, further comprising a damper associated with the second burner to selectively allow the gaseous discharge to pass therethrough.
 17. The incinerator of claim 10, wherein the housing comprises a cylinder shape.
 18. An incinerator, comprising: a cylinder-shaped housing having concentric inner and out walls spaced from one another with a cavity therebetween; a granular material in the cavity of the housing; a door providing access to an interior of the housing; a burner for providing heat to the interior of the housing; and an exhaust in communication with the interior of the housing to direct gaseous discharge therefrom.
 19. The incinerator of claim 18, wherein the granular material comprises sand.
 20. The incinerator of claim 18, further comprising a second burner in the exhaust for reducing emissions from the gaseous discharge. 